THE UMPIRE STRIKES BACK
U.S. Open chair ump accused of helping Kyrgios with pep talk
Who needs cheerleaders when you have umpires like Mo Lahyani?
It was another bizarre chapter Thursday in the career of Nick Kyrgios, who was playing spaced-out and lackadaisical tennis when Lahyani stepped down from his umpire chair to give him an animated pep talk.
Among the unbelievable things Lahyani reportedly told Kyrgios: ● “I want to help you.” ● “I’ve seen your matches, you’re great for tennis.” ● “I know this is not you.” The enigmatic Kyrgios had dropped the first set and was trailing 3-0 in the second when Lahyani transformed into his coach. Kyrgios almost immediately flipped a switch and, over an hour later, he left Court 17 with a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert. It sets up a high-profile fourthround matchup between Kyrgios and Roger Federer.
Herbert was justifiably upset and said Kyrgios’ game and attitude changed.
“I don’t know what to think. I don’t know if something would’ve changed if Mohamed didn’t say anything to him. I cannot tell you. I just can tell you from that point Nick was playing much better,” Herbert said. “Actually, the umpire doesn’t have to talk to him at all. The only thing he can tell him is, ‘Yeah, pay attention, because if you continue like this, I’m going to give you a warning,’ something like that.
“They can tell him from the chair. He doesn’t need to go down. He doesn’t need to say the words he said. I think this was not his job. I don’t think he’s a coach, he’s an umpire, and he should stay on his chair for that.”
Although many in the media were calling for punishment of Lahyani — including John McEnroe suggesting a suspension on ESPN – Tournament Referee Brian Earley excused the actions of the veteran umpire from Sweden.
“He left his chair to check on the condition of Nick Kyrgios,” Earley said in a statement. “He came out of the chair because of the noise level in the Stadium during the changeover to make sure he could communicate effectively.
“Lahyani was concerned that Kyrgios might need medical attention.”
Herbert had a different theory, saying the umpire wanted to jolt Kyrgios’ performance to appease the fans. He also released a statement saying the USTA “is clearly taking us as fools” with its excuse for Lahyani.
Kyrgios handled it immaturely, predictably. In his press conference he dismissed the notion that Lahyani acted inappropriately or should be punished. When female tennis player Donna Vekic tweeted the video of Lahyani’s pom-pom display and called it a “pep talk,” Kyrgios responded on his account before, “Don’t be salty that you are out of the US Open.” (The tweet was later deleted).
But Krygios seemed to be alone on the island of Lahyani defense. Federer, who will face Krygios on Sunday, declared such an exchange will not – and should not – happen again.
“Go back up to the chair. He was there for too long,” Federer said. “It’s a conversation. Conversations can change your mindset. It can be a physio, a doctor, an umpire for that matter. That’s why it won’t happen again. I think everybody knows that.” Kyrgios claimed Lahyani had no effect on his mood or game. “I’m not sure it was encouragement,” he said. “He said he liked me. I’m not sure if that was encouragement. He just said that it’s not a good look (for me to be playing so poorly).
“Look. I wasn’t feeling good. I know what I was doing out there wasn’t good. I wasn’t really listening to him, but I knew it wasn’t a good look. It didn’t help me at all.”